As mobile devices such as smart phones and laptops increase in functionality, users are becoming more reliant on these devices. For example, smart phones are not limited to providing communications such as voice, short text messaging, internet browsing, and electronic mail. Smart phones also provide access to applications ranging from streaming multimedia, bar code scanning, and identity services. As functionality of mobile devices increase, mobile devices store and otherwise provide access to an increasing amount of personal data. Smart phones may store personal documents, photos, audio files and videos. Further, smart phones may provide client access to secure data stored in servers on personal or enterprise networks, or on the cloud.
However, mobile devices by their very form factor may be misplaced, stolen, or otherwise lost. In those situations, a user is not only deprived of a tool that the user relies on, but also personal data. There are presently techniques to assist in mobile device recovery, but these techniques may be circumvented at the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card level. For example, a malicious person may take out the SIM card in one mobile device, and place the SIM card in another mobile device in order to continue using services associated with the stolen SIM card. In another example, it may be possible for the malicious person to use information stored in the SIM card to contact customer service or obtain a mobile device owner's account password to circumvent any remote lockout activated on the mobile device by the mobile device owner.